Pearl Jam blazes

Review by Marten Lewerth
Photos by Caroline Limuti
Daily Forty-Niner

Bringing a little warmth to a cold evening in the mountains can be a daunting task, but somehow Pearl Jam managed to pull it off.

The veteran Seattle-based outfit delivered a solid 25-song set Saturday before a bundled-up crowd at the Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion in San Bernadino.

True to the band's low-key style, the stage was bare and there would be no pyrotechnics or scantily clad go-go dancers on this night. Pearl Jam relied solely on its extensive catalog of songs, accompanied only by an occasional lighting shift, to entertain its audience.

As the house lights went down, Pearl Jam hit the stage with "Rearviewmirror," which was quickly followed by a blistering version of "Animal" and "State of Love and Trust." Before launching into "Given to Fly," frontman Eddie Vedder addressed the crowd for the first time.

"Hello San Pedro!" he joked, explaining that it had been a long tour. After thanking the audience for coming out in the cold, the band launched into "Given to Fly," followed by the concert staple "Corduroy," in which lead guitarist Mike McCready delivered the first of many inspired solos.

McCready's finest moment on this night came a few songs later during "Evenflow." While bassist Jeff Ament, drummer Matt Cameron and fellow guitarist Stone Gossard pounded out the song's rhythm, McCready attacked his Les Paul for all it was worth.

After the final strains of the sing-along staple "Daughter," Vedder introduced the seldom-played song that put the band on the map.

"This song's about kids today, and what happens when they pack their own lunches."

CONCERT REVIEW

With that said, Gossard strummed the opening bars of "Jeremy" and the audience went crazy. At times it was hard to hear Vedder sing, as the Pavilion was filled with thousands of voices belting out the song's lyrics. Almost 10 years old, "Jeremy" sounded fresh and was perhaps the concert's most exquisite moment.

During another song from "Ten," Vedder decided to get a little closer to the audience. While McCready noodled away on the break of "Porch," Vedder picked a suitable spot, crowd surfed out into the first few rows, and the song ended with him being held up by fans.

The band then abruptly left the stage, only an hour and 18 songs into its performance. Pearl Jam concerts are notorious for going long, and it seemed like the weather might have made an impact on a band that often plays three hour shows.

This was not the case, as Vedder explained a few minutes later.

"Sorry to leave you in the cold," he said. "We had an argument backstage. It seems that some of you people are behaving like animals. There's some f***s in the back starting fires, that's a bad idea."

Although it was not apparent from down front, several bonfires had been ignited on the lawn area of the Pavilion. After drawing comparisons to behavior exhibited at Woodstock '99, Vedder said that everything was fine and the band erupted into a frenzied version of "Breakerfall" from "Binaural."

A testament to the band's personality and its relationship with fans happened during the subdued classic "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town." Midway through the song, a young fan jumped up onto the stage. As security officers rushed to grab him, Vedder embraced the fan and signaled the officers away. Throughout the rest of the song, the apparently awe-struck fan was allowed to stay onstage. After it was over, Vedder teased him by saying,

"Have a nice night in jail, young man."

The regular set ended with a frantic rendition of "Do the Evolution," and the band left the stage for a few minutes before returning for its encore.

"Thanks for the tremendous warm energy on a cold night, be good," Vedder said, and the band finished up the evening gracefully with a beautiful performance of "Yellow Ledbetter."

Vocalist Eddie Vedder, top, drummer Matt Cameron, above, and guitarist Stone Gossard, below, during concert at  Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion Saturday in San Bernadino.